Midnight Stradivarius
by Stetla
Summary: Never break Holmes' violin. One-shot


**A/N: My writing style contians alot of talking I don't start a new paragraph each time a character speaks. I know this goes against cannon but my writing looks choppy if I don't combine dialogue. Please do not comenent on this in reviews as I will not change it. None of the charaters are mine. **

**Midnight Stradivarius**

Watson stared, horrified at Holmes' most prized possession. The Stradivarius lay in the chair broken into two pieces. He sat on it. He sat on Holmes' precious violin! What was he going to do? Holmes was going to be home any minute and he was on an important case. He was going to want that violin. This was not good, not good at all.

He heard the door close down stairs and the unmistakable footsteps of Sherlock Holmes ascending the stairs. The door opened seconds later to reveal the great detective. Holmes did not seem to notice the doctor or the broken violin, but made straight for his pipes and his slipper of tobacco. "Watson, good news! There's been a brake in the case and I'm very close to…" Holmes eyes fell on the pitiful ruins of his violin and Watson hovering over it looking guilty.

He pushed Watson out of the way and fell to his knees, scooping up the shattered instrument. Watson blurted out a confession "Holmes, I'm so sorry! It was an accident, I swear!" Holmes did not reply. "Holmes? Speak to me. Holmes!" The detective pointed toward the door. "Go get me another violin Watson, Stradivarius if you please." he said in a disturbingly calm voice. The doctor set about doing his best impersonation of a fish. "But Holmes, it's ten o'clock at night, no where in London will be open at this hour." Holmes made no reply, but kept pointing at the door. Watson sighed, gathered his coat and hat and went out the door, glad that Lestrade was not to witness this.

A hour after Watson had left on what seemed to be a fruitless search, Lestrade showed up at 221B Baker street to consult Holmes on a grisly murder. He knew it was late, but the case was urgent. The victim of the crime was of some distinction and Scotland Yard was being pressured to solve the case as quickly as possible. Lestrade knocked on the door of the flat and received no answer. He checked the door and found that it was unlocked, so he let himself in. "Mr. Holmes? Dr. Watson? Are you…?" His eyes beheld a rather strange scene, Holmes sitting in the dark, sulking, a broken violin in his lap.

"Mr. Holmes what happened?" Holmes glared daggers at the Inspector as if punishing him for daring disturb his dark mood. "Watson sat on my violin." That was all that Lestrade was able to get out of him, but it was all that was necessary. "He *snicker* he what?" asked Lestrade, his mirth barely containable. Holmes glared at him "Do you find something humorous Inspector?" Lestrade laughed "Well, you have to admit Mr. Holmes it is rather funny." The detective looked less than amused "Well then Lestrade, I'm sure that Dr. Watson will be more than happy to provide you with more entertainment as you help him search for a new Stradivarius."

Lestrade was speechless "But Mr. Holmes there is an urgent case that I need you to work on and…" Holmes pointed toward the door. With a heavy sigh Lestrade headed out into the streets of London. It was going to be a long night.

After meeting up with Lestrade, Watson finally came across the only open music store in London. The hour was nearing midnight and the two companions prayed to the Almighty that the shop had a Stradivarius. However, upon opening the door they where greeted by someone most unexpected. "Well, well gentlemen this is a surprise." James Moriarty smiled at them cunningly "So what brings you to my humble, little shop." Watson jaw dropped "M-Moriarty?! Since when do you own a music shop?" Moriarty leaned on the polished wood of the counter. "I'm interested in many things doctor."

Watson snorted disdainfully "You mean you need many fronts for your criminal empire." Moriarty smiled much like that of a snake does when it happens upon a wounded bird. "As you like it doctor. However, you still have not told me the reason for your late night visit " Watson sighed "We need a Stradivarius." The Napoleon of Crime stroked his chin thoughtfully "I do believe I have what you are looking for." He disappeared into the back room for a few moments and retuned with a dark brown leather case. Inside the case was a magnificent violin, in even better condition than Holmes' old one. The label on the inside of the violin read "Antonius Stradivari Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1716." It was beautiful.

Watson and Lestrade both sighed in relief. "How much?" Lestrade asked. Moriarty smiled and wrote down a number on a slip of paper. He handed to the inspector who shouted "That more than I make in two months!" Watson plucked the paper from Lestrade, his jaw dropped in shock. "This is outrageous!" he screamed at Moriarty "You are blatantly extorting desperate men!" The professor dismissed the doctor's rage with the wave of his hand "Take it or leave it gentleman. However I'll guarantee you will not find another shop open at this hour.

Watson sighed yet again, wondering if he would ever stop sighing before the night was out. He turned to Lestrade "You pay one half and I'll pay the other half?" The inspector nodded and they both wrote out the appropriate checks. Moriarty took the checks and locked them in a lock box, then he moved to get his coat. "Thank you for you patronage gentlemen. Now if you don't mind I intend to deliver this purchase myself."

221B Baker Street was dark and not very welcoming when the three men arrived. As soon as they opened the door at the bottom of the stairs they heard the sound of a gun shot. Mrs. Hudson came running up to the trio, a horrified look on her face. "Dr. Watson! Thank Heaven you're here! He won't listen to reason sir. I tried to get him to stop but he…" Watson gently lead their flustered landlady to a chair and had her sit down "Don't worry Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade and I will take care of it." With that the three men ascended the stairs towards the sound of the gunshots.

Holmes had a particular habit of using the wall to the left of the door for target practice. He had even gone to far as to sketch a man-shaped target, somewhat resembling Moriarty, to practice with. He was shooting at this when the real professor opened the door "Greetings Holmes, I heard someone is…." BANG! A bullet whizzed passed the professors' head and buried itself in the opposite wall "…a much better shot when he's angry." Holmes glared at his mortal enemy. "Moriarty, if you don't have a Stradivarius violin with you, then remove yourself from my flat." Said professor laughed "Put the pistol down Holmes here is your precious violin."

Holmes snatched the leather case from the mathematics professor, his grey eyes shining as he opened it. He removed the violin and began to go about tuning it ignoring the other men in the room. After he felt it was properly tuned, he turned to his small audience "Well any requests, gentlemen? Watson?" The doctor collapsed wearily into a chair. "No" he said sulkily. Holmes turn to Lestrade "Well then what about you Lestrade?" The Inspector shook his head and went join Watson in his sulk. That just left one person, "That just leaves you professor. Anything you would like to hear?" This rather supised Moriarty, wh as he was expecting to be forced out of the flat at gunpoint by now.

Moriarty smirked "Play Paganini's Caprice no.24." Holmes laughed. Caprice no. 24 was thought by many coinsures of the violin to be one of the most difficult pieces to detective checked the tone his violin once more and began to play. The sound that came out of the violin was so melodious and beautiful, it drew the attention of everyone in the room. Holmes played the piece flawlessly, not a single note was missed or forgotten. By the end of the piece, Watson could have sworn he saw tears in Moriarty's eyes. "Holmes are you quite sure your in the right vocation? I sure there are orchestras that will pay you a lot more money than you make chasing after me. I'm almost sorry I have to kill you."

Holmes was waring a smirk of his own. "Nothing in this world, not even playing this violin, will give me greater pleasure than bringing you to justice."he said unable to hide the distain or the determination in his voice. Now, gentlemen if you excuse me I have cases to solve and I do not want to test Watson's good humor any longer." He ushered his guests toward the door. "Good night." After they had left Holmes placed his new violin back in it's case and lit up his pipe. "Watson, how much did you pay for that violin?"Watson shot him a look that could cleave stone "I think you would be better off not knowing that Holmes."


End file.
